I still haven't figured out how to sit across from you, and not be madly in love with everything you do.

-William C. Hannan

××Playlist××

'Don't even think about it.' Gavin glared, shovelling more cereal into his mouth.

We were sitting on separate stools in the kitchen while he ate his breakfast before leaving for school.

'Think about what?' I asked innocently.

'Whatever evil thing it is that you've managed to cook up in that evil dark mind of yours. I know that smile. It's your I've-thought-of-something-that-will-definitely-embarrass-you-and-probably-get-you-in-trouble smile.' He replied, glaring at me.

'Me? When have I ever gotten you in trouble?' I asked merrily.

'All day. Every day. Since you started talking.'

'I know. I just wanted to hear it.' I grinned.

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever you've got on your mind, forget it. It's barely 7 o'clock. On a Tuesday morning. I'm not letting you get me killed.' He stated.

'Well, you're no fun but that's fine because you have no say in this.' I beamed.

'You've been smiling a lot lately. You always smile before you make me do something I don't want to do.'

'Well, torturing you brings me joy. What can I say?' I smirked.

'There's a special place for you. In hell. You know that?'

'I know. It's called a throne.' I remarked.

'The devil will be very afraid of you.'

'Taught him everything he knows.' I replied. He expelled an exasperated breath.

'You're impossible.'

'I love it.' I smiled.

'If you're going to ruin my life can't you at least wait till noon when I'm awake enough to appreciate it?'

I pretended to think about it first. 'Hmmm.... No. This is time sensitive. Besides where's the fun in that?'

'Have I ever mentioned I hate you?'

'All the time.' I replied happily. 'Though you should probably switch it up a little. Use words like despise, abhor, loathe. It makes you sound less monotonous.'

'I loathe you.' He said blandly.

'See! Much better.' I said.

'Can't you just bottle up your crazy ideas till twelve o'clock?' He was begging at this point.

'Nope. Doesn't work that way.' I sang.

'Oh God.' He sighed.

'If it makes you feel any better, murder is not on today's agenda.' I conceded.

'Murder is never on anyone's agenda.' He stated.

'Its on my mine. Just not until Friday.' I shrugged. 'And murder is usually on people's agenda. What do you think a serial killer's schedule looks like?'

'You're kidding. Right?'

'About the serial killers? No. What do you think they spend their day doing? When they're not physically murdering someone, they are planning how to murder someone.' I arched an eyebrow.

'No. About murder being on your agenda.' He corrected.

'Oh. No. Of course not. Why would I joke about that?' I frowned. He gaped.

'Because it's murder?'

'Murder is nothing to joke about. Stop being silly.' I rolled my eyes, purposely misinterpreting what he meant.

'When you say murder, you mean kill a rat right? A bug. A bird. Not a person. Right?' He asked.

'We'll see.' I replied jovially. The stunned expression on his face made me burst into laughter. I couldn't keep my  poker face on anymore. I doubled over whilst clutching my stomach.

'Relax, Gavin. I was joking.' I said, wiping tears from my eyes. My stomach was even hurting from how hard I was laughing. I haven't had such a great laugh in over a hundred years.

'Oh. Okay. Good. I've got to get to school.' He slung his bag over his shoulder and rushed out of the house. I still couldn't stop laughing.

The trip to school was short and quiet. Gavin spent the entire time glaring at me. He still hasn't forgiven me for my joke earlier this morning.

'You realize you can't ignore me all day.' I pointed out as he took his books out of his locker.

'I can try.' He replied slamming his locker shut with a little too much force.

'What did the poor thing ever do to you?' I remarked.

Before he could reply, our attention was drawn to the other side of the hallway where Adriana and her clique were terrorizing Asia. The girl  Gavin likes.

I think Adriana figured out that Gavin has a thing for Asia because she has been particularly nasty to her lately.

'Go help her idiot.' I resisted the urge the slap the back of his head. Violence is never the answer.

Okay, violence is usually the answer but this is one of those rare cases in which it is not.

'What?' Gavin gaped.

'The girl you like is getting bullied. Aren't you going to do something?' This time I slapped his head. Like I said, violence is always the answer.

'Why?' He frowned.

I rolled my eyes. 'You like Asia right?'

'No.' He replied abruptly.

'Gavin, I'm a ghost. Who has stalked you. For five months.' I deadpanned.

'Fine. Yes. A little.' He grumbled.

'Then go save her. She's getting bullied because of you. You know that right?' I asked earnestly. In all my two hundred years, I've never been able to stand the sight of someone being bullied. It annoys me. People have been driven to take their own lives because of bullying. It's awful.

'What? Why?' He mumbled not taking his eyes off Asia.

'Because, stupid, she likes you. You like her and Adriana is horrible person who also likes you. She's just jealous but that's no excuse for her to treat Asia the way she does.' I pointed out.

'What? Asia likes me? I knew she liked me!' He almost pumped his fist in the air.

'That's all you got from that?' I asked sarcastically. 'Yeah she likes you but she's very reserved and she knows you're a player.'

'Oh.' He said.

'Just go do something!' I ordered when Adriana shoved Asia into the lockers.

'Right.' He replied. The crowd that had gathered around them parted for him like the red sea did for Moses. It's like he's some kind of.... something.

I wrinkled my nose.

'Adriana.' His tone was levelled but there was a hint of annoyance in it. Just enough to make Adriana step away from a wide eyed Asia.

'Hey Gavin.' She beamed as if she wasn't just trying to squash a person into a locker. She's good.

'You should get to class.' He ordered. 'I'm sure you have better things to do than harass people all day.'

She coloured fiercely and a look of hurt flitted across her face. I almost feel sorry for her. She must really like Gavin.

Without a word, she turned on her heel and stomped to class with her clique in tow.

'Thanks.' Asia mumbled quietly. Her cheeks were stained pink but that could have been from her encounter with Adriana. Who knows?

Gavin just stared at her.

'Ask her if she's okay, idiot!' I said.

Do I have to tell him everything!

'Right. Are you okay?' He finally got a hold of his tongue.

'Yeah. I'll live.' She replied softly. 'Thanks again.'

'It was nothing really. Adriana shouldn't have treated you like that.' He shrugged.

'Adriana treats everyone like that. Though it's usually not this bad.' She replied quietly.

'Is she sensitive to sound? Because talking a little louder wouldn't kill her.' I interjected. Gavin glared at me. Asia followed his gaze but since she couldn't see me or anything worth glaring at, she frowned.

'What is it?' She asked.

'Nothing. You should get to class. I'll see you later.' He said and adjusted the strap of his bag before walking away.

'You'll see me later? What does that mean? I don't want to read to much into this.' Asia mused quietly.

'Trust me honey. There's no way on planet earth that you can read too much into it. He doesn't know it yet but he's really into you. I'm still trying to figure how I can use that to my advantage.' I rolled my eyes and smiled before going after Gavin.

'See, thanks to me, you made major points with Asia. I've forgotten what it's like seeing two people who like each other. It's nice.' I mused.

'How old were you when you got cursed?' He frowned.

'Seventeen.' I sighed.

'Seventeen?' He gaped.

'Yeah. I just said that.' I rolled my eyes.

'You're awfully bossy for a seventeen year old.' He noted.

'And you're awfully stupid for an eighteen year old. I'm glad we got that put of the way. Aren't you?' I replied sarcastically.

'You've been seventeen for two hundred years. I don't know whether that's cool or bad. I mean you're not old enough to take booze.'

Really booze?

'Its bad. Being seventeen forever. It's horrible.' I whispered. I didn't even realize I had stopped and that my eyes were closed till he spoke again.

'I'm sorry.' It was the first time he ever said something not even remotely mocking or taunting to me.

'It's okay. It wasn't your fault. And booze has nothing to do with it.' I tried to shake of my melancholic mood.

'But it was my ancestors fault.'

'That it was.' I replied soberly.

I skipped his first and second class but I went with him to his third class. Art. I love art. Back in the eighteen hundreds, I used to paint all the time. It was my escape.

Their art teacher is an eccentric short woman who always has paint stains all over her. She's really nice though. She told everyone to grab some paint and a canvas and to paint whatever they were thinking of.

Like I said, eccentric.

Gavin set up his canvas at the back of the class where he was a little secluded. He is really tall so he was taller than the easel. I could see his face over the top of it. I sat on a stool, facing him. Asia is in this art class as well. She was dwarfed by her canvas and easel but I could see some of her mahogany curls peeking out.

'Can I ask you something you? It's a question you do not have to answer.' He quickly added.

'My least favorite type of question.' I sighed. 'Ask away but there's no reassurance that I'll answer.'

'That's fine.' He shrugged. 'I just wanted to know what it's like for you? You know because...'

'Because, I've existed for over two hundred years?' I completed his statement for him. He nodded.

I took a deep breath and exhaled then took another. My gaze wandered out the window. I stared at the sky and the horizon.

I could feel his inquisitive gaze on my face before he finally shifted his attention back to his painting. I knew he thought I didn't plan on answering the question but I was actually trying to find the right words. I haven't had to talk to anyone in two hundred years so opening up is kind of new to me.

'It was horrible.' I whispered. His eyes snapped to me. I glance at him for a second before going back to staring at the horizon.

I didn't want to see the understanding in his gaze. It'll be better for both of us if we have a strictly superficial relationship.

'It is horrible. I watched everyone I care about die. When your ancestor, Marge placed the curse on me, my mother almost went out of her mind looking for a way to break it. A little part of her died everyday because I was gone. I had to watch that happen everyday knowing it was my fault.' I blinked.

'She couldn't see me. She didn't know I was there. That I could see and hear her. She blamed herself for what happened. Her life became sad and she was so depressed.' I sighed heavily.

Gavin refused to meet my gaze.

'My mother who loved laughing and would always smile never laughed again. She became a recluse. And Thomas. He was courting me. We were... We were in love. He was devastated by what happened. Eventually he moved on. I had to watch the guy I didn't know I loved marry another girl and have kids with her. My friends grew old, got married, had kids and even died and I was stuck being seventeen with no one to talk to. No one to laugh with. Nothing. Sometimes I was so sure I was going to loose my mind.' I said softly.

'Oh God. And when you started following me around, I also pretended I couldn't see you or talk to you either. I'm sorry.' Gavin apologized.

'Its okay. I chewed you out for it already. And you were right anyway. Who wants to be stuck with a ghost no one else can see?' I waved his apology off.

'And I laughed in your face when you asked for my help.' He cringed.

'It's okay, Gavin. You're helping me now.' I summed.

'Only because you blackmailed me into doing it. God, am I that bad?' He groaned.

'Gavin, I didn't tell you that so you can feel sorry for me or pity me. I told you because you asked. Now it's over. Stop with the.... Just stop. Okay?'

'Okay.'

'Thanks. And seriously, I don't want your pity.' I stressed.

'Okay. We're cool. Really cool. That means you don't have to blackmail me any longer. I will help you. Willingly.' He held my gaze so I would know that he meant it.

I smiled and nodded. To lighten up the mood, I asked him what he was painting.

'Haven't really started.' He shrugged.

'You should paint Asia. Girls like it when guys do that.' I teased.

'Can't.' He shrugged and tilted the canvas to show me a beautiful half complete painting of a dark haired girl sitting in front of an easel and painting something on the canvas in front of her. The colours he used blended together to create a breathtaking painting. I instantly recognized who he'd painted.

'Kelsey. Your sister.' I smiled softly. 'She's really talented you know? And you too. I guess drawing runs in your family. Marge was good at it too.' I mentioned.

'Marge as in my great great great great great grandmother that put a curse on you?'

'Yeah that Marge.' I smiled.

'Oh.'

'Remember when you said I should bottle up my crazy ideas till noon?' I asked.

'Yeah?'

'Well, it's noon.'

Author's Note:

I'm back. No cravings this time. I hope you guys like the chapter. I wanted us to see another side of our very kind and very friendly and not at all devious ghost. What do you guys think?

Don't forget to click on that tiny star and please please please don't be a silent reader. Thank you! Love you guys so much. See you next chapter when we find out what crazy scheme Vasilisa has cooked up now. (I know I don't use her name that much or at all in the story but there's a reason for that which you'll find out as the story progresses).

Stay tuned.

Vote/Comment/Share!